Big Time Twisted Tales
by gleechild
Summary: A collection of stories made-up of warped Grimm fairy-tales, nursery rhymes, or tall-tales that prick my fancy. All pairings/ratings. Rated M for future stories. *Chapter 1: The Mirror Never Lied-a tale of handsome. James-centric. Pairing: Jettgan


**Big Time Twisted Tales**

A collection of short stories made up of Grimm fairy tales, nursery rhymes, or any tall-tales that prick my fancy. Any pairing or rating is fair game. This is rated 'M' for future stories.

* * *

><p>Title: <strong>The Mirror Never Lied<strong>  
><em>A tale of handsome.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>POV:<strong> James, Logan, little bit of Kendall.  
><strong>Rated:<strong> T  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Jettgan  
><strong>Timing:<strong> Post Big Time Single, Before Big Time Wedding  
><strong>Summary:<strong> James is obsessed with being the most handsome. How will he react when he thinks that title is being bestowed upon someone else?

* * *

><p><em>Melly, this one's for you...<em>

* * *

><p>"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the handsomest of them all…."<p>

James opened his tightly closed eyes and looked straight ahead.

Then he smirked at the mirror on the wall in front of him.

_Oh yeah_, he thought, _that's me_.

His hair was perfectly in place, tossed to the side at the proper angle he had taught it to lay.

His eyes shone brightly beneath long lashes that he painted _very_ lightly with a mascara wand. He didn't see the harm in using just the tiniest bit of makeup every now and again, especially when it made his lashes look like _that_.

His face was smooth, clear of blemishes, along with the impossible to detect dusting of powder on his cheeks to counteract any hint of "rosy cheeks". His mother used to drag him to the dermatologist, insisting that he _must_ have some teenage form of rosacea even though that skin condition only showed up well after the horrible years of teen acne were past. Apparently a _lot _of people mistook it for what the doctor told them was _just_ rosy cheeks. _JUST!_ Like it wasn't anything at all, when it made him look flushed and completely destroyed the otherwise flawless perfection that was his young face. Fortunately, his mother accepted the doctor's diagnosis and instead of forcing him to try product after product from one of her new Brooke Diamond Face Care lines, she made sure he was fully stocked up on powders and foundations that matched his exact skin tone so not even the hint of a blush could ruin his appearance.

He smoothed down the front of his tight t-shirt, admiring the way it conformed to his body. The sleeves molded to his muscles, emphasizing the amount of time he spent at the gym since he was forever dedicated to staying in shape. The t-shirt was tight against his chest, showing off the muscles of his pectorals as well. Toward the bottom of the tee, it hung looser. But even that was done strategically. It emphasized his slim waist since the material hung inward and gave him enough room to tug the shirt up comfortably on those occasions when he wanted to show off his washboard abs.

He knew he was, without a doubt, the very definition of handsome.

For the past three years he always played a game with himself. Every morning after spending a moderate amount of time getting ready—though his best friends liked to tease him that what _he_ thought was "moderate" was actually "forever!"—he would stand in front of his floor length mirror, close his eyes tightly and mutter to himself the magic mirror words.

And always, _always_, when he opened his eyes, he saw himself.

The mirror never lied.

* * *

><p>"I'm handsomer than <em>you<em>…and _you_… and _you_… oh, and _definitely_ you…."

James groaned to himself where he was lying peacefully and shirtless on a lounge chair by the pool. He tilted his head to the right side before opening his eyes to see the usual conceited asshole that was Jett Stetson. Jett liked to play his _own_ "handsome" game. Unlike James though, he had no problem playing his game with other people. He would wonder throughout The Palm Woods, looking around and comparing himself to everyone he saw. The television star played this game at least once a week… or whenever he wanted to draw attention to his supposed perfection.

"Here comes the village idiot," Kendall mumbled from his seat to the left of James.

"Now _you_ I understand. Sorry," James began, shrugging with a smile when Kendall swatted at him. "I just don't know how he could possibly think he's handsomer than _me_." It didn't really bother him whenever Jett pointed at him with disgust and declared himself handsomest. His mirror never lied to him. He had the utmost confidence that Jett was just lying to himself.

"Oh, look, it's Kendork and his band of merry men," Jett laughed at his own joke as he finally came to a stop in front of Kendall's and James' chairs.

He looked down the row to see Logan next to Kendall, fully clothed and skin the palest white despite having lived in sunny L.A. for the past year. Carlos brought up the rear, his trunks and tank completely soaked from accidentally falling into the pool while ogling the Jennifers earlier.

Carlos was wearing his helmet and banging a heavy textbook against his head with one hand, while holding Logan off with the other when he tried to snatch the book away.

"Stop! Give it!" Logan struggled with Carlos' flailing limb that kept smacking him in the face. "This is _not_ what I meant by 'hitting the books'!"

"Or should I say, his band of stupid dorks," Jett smirked.

"Move along," Kendall said, using his fingers to pantomime the act of walking. "You're blocking the sun."

"Very well," Jett huffed with glee, glad to continue his game. "And I'm _way_ handsomer than _you_," he pointed at Kendall. "And _you_," he said, pointing at James.

"Buzz off!" the tall brunette said with a wave of his wrist, turning to look at Kendall to share in an eye roll and effectively dismissing the arrogant star.

James shifted and tried to get comfortable again, though he could still hear the insistent buzzing of the idiot boy.

Jett turned to the side facing the pool just as a _grumpy _blonde Jennifer walked by, "And I'm positively prettier than _you_."

She glared at him, making him glance away with a hesitant laugh and start walking down the pool side.

James chuckled to himself, amused at the girl's reaction despite his hatred of the game.

Jett pointed to someone walking behind the guys' chairs. "And _you_…"

"And _definitely_ you…" Jett pointed at Carlos who looked up in confusion as to why the other boy was even talking to him.

"Hey!" Logan sputtered at Jett, still fighting with the hand in his face. "Just keep walking! You heard Kendall."

James smiled. He loved that his best friends could rough house and smack each other around but always had each other's backs. With Carlos being the ultrasensitive one in the group, there was always a chance he would get his feelings hurt. So, of course, Logan would stand up for him.

"Whatever you say," Jett just shrugged.

And then kept walking, pointing at random people, happy in his own little game.

James started to relax once _again_, but then he realized something…and it bothered him more than he liked to admit.

Jett had walked right past Logan…

_Did that mean Jett actually thought… No! He just got distracted when Logan yelled at him. He couldn't possibly think…_

He thought back and tried to remember if Jett had ever actually pointed at Logan and said his stupid little phrase "I'm handsomer than _you_"—with the emphasis on the 'you'. Hard as he tried, he couldn't remember _ever_ seeing Jett point at Logan. Or talk to him directly to insult him. Sure, the guy would say general terms like "merry men" and "stupid dorks" and it seemed like he was including all of the guys in his statement…but was he really?

James rifled through his pile of clothing and the towel that was resting on the small table to the right of him until he found his little handheld mirror.

You see, his floor length mirror had a secret. Its magic could spread to any mirror that James happened to be walking by. Therefore, whenever James was having a moment of self-doubt, he could look into any mirror, close his eyes tightly, mumble the magic words, and when he opened his eyes _BOOM!_ The mirror gave him the answer.

He closed his eyes tightly now and quickly muttered, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the handsomest of them all?"

When he looked into the tiny mirror, he sighed with relief when he saw his own reflection.

"Hey, Logan!" James suddenly called out.

"Yeah?"

"You know I'm handsomer than you, right?"

Logan laughed, assuming James was just making fun of Jett. "Of course, James. Everyone knows that."

James smiled. "Just checking."

* * *

><p>This was <em>not<em> Logan's most favorite part of being in a band.

He loved working with his best friends. He'd grown to enjoy singing and dancing—once he actually figured out how to do it without impairing everyone's ears or breaking a bone when he lost his balance. He didn't mind the performing, it actually gave him a rush of adrenaline that equaled the pleasure he felt whenever he played hockey. He relished traveling from venue to venue, exploring this country he'd lived in since his birth but had never seen except for the images depicted in books. Seeing things up close were _always_ better than the photograph.

And don't get him wrong, he absolutely _loved_ the fans. He loved that so much publicity had been happening as the band slowly gained momentum.

The thing he really didn't like? Signings.

He loved meeting the fans, but he was always nervous about it, worried he would say or do the wrong thing that would immediately make the fans think, 'Oh my God, he's so uncool!' thus destroying the entire band in one fell swoop. He knew that sometimes the things that came out of his mouth made no sense to the normal person. If he had a dollar for every time one of his friends needed him to "dumb it down" for them, he wouldn't have to worry about affording medical school.

He also felt really bad for the fans. They all had to stand in a line that stretched and stretched. He hated feeling like he had to hurry everyone along because he felt guilty everyone else was still standing. Then he would feel guilty that maybe he wasn't giving enough attention to each fan when they _did_ reach him in line.

After the first one, he always made sure that he was not the first one to greet the fans at a signing…though the mall they were at didn't seem to mind that the people got through the line so quickly they had more time to shop before the mall closed.

He tried not to hate signings. And he tried to keep calm. He tried not to talk too fast. He tried to make the experience cool and fun for each and every fan. And, most importantly, he tried not to rush them.

…and he also kinda sorta hoped that the big giant stuffed panda bear he'd just spotted in the arms of the next approaching fan wasn't for him because James had been giving him weird looks for the past hour and he knew it had to do with the fact that Logan's pile of presents from the fans was quite a bit larger than all the other guys'.

So, Logan watched from the corner of his eye as the girl lugged the bear that was almost twice her height past Carlos, whom she gave a friendship bracelet, James, whom she gave another friendship bracelet, then she stopped in front of Logan. He said 'hi', gave her a bright smile, asked her name—which she squeaked out—, signed the inside cover of the CD case James slid over to him, then paused, waiting to see what she would do next.

Her face was starting to flush and she seemed to be trying to speak but it wasn't coming out. He relaxed his smile, hoping to set her at ease—this was not the first girl today that looked like she was about to start hyperventilating when she reached him. He sighed inwardly, admitting defeat. If she was acting that way, the bear was probably for him.

"Is that for me?" he asked as gently as possible.

The girl was startled at the question, looked at the bear in her arms like she forgot it was there—though how could she when it was, once again, _two times her size!_—then nodded her head quickly. She practically threw the thing at him because she was so flustered.

"Thanks," he replied, awkwardly giving the animal a hug before passing it off to Hank—the guy in charge of relieving them of enormous presents so they could keep the line going and not have to figure out what to do with them.

She just stood there like she didn't know what to do next. She seemed to be settling down, but she still wasn't moving forward to see Kendall who was waiting expectantly since his last signee had already left the area. The girl behind her seemed anxious for her to keep going too.

Short of actually making a sweeping hand gesture to tell her where to go—which might come off a little rude and he wanted to avoid that at all cost—he wasn't sure what to do. Then she asked in a small voice that was only a little shaky, "Can I have a hug?"

"Of course," he stood a little and leaned forward awkwardly. She hugged him hard and fast but, thankfully, let him go before he lost his balance. "Take care," he finished with another smile, giving her a wave.

And then she was off to Kendall, giving him his very own bracelet, and Logan could finally move on to the next person in line who looked like she was doing a pee dance. And maybe she was, after standing in line for who knows how long. He shook his head. Yep, he sure felt guilty about that, but what could he really do?

He paused after two more people passed, shaking his hand out to the side and attempting to stretch his fingers. He also _really_ hated the lack of feeling in his hand by the time every autograph had been signed. He knew that his autograph was the shortest of all the other guys—he made it deliberately small—so he had no idea how they managed with their giant flourishing scrawl. Kendall's was especially big.

But, he would persevere! If they could stand in line for that long, he could keep on writing and smiling and making each fan feel like the first in line.

* * *

><p><em>BOOM!<em>

James flinched from his position lying on his bed as the wall rattled across the room.

He loved Carlos, he really did, but his friend really needed to learn how to _not_ slam the front door when he got home. The guy just didn't even think about it. He was usually in too much of a rush to get from one place to another. He didn't even realize how annoying the slamming door was. Maybe James should tell him. But it was likely he would just forget again.

James sighed and twirled the small hand held mirror in his hand. His fingers had been itching the entire time he was at the signing desperately wanting to hold the precious mirror to get confirmation that nothing had changed in the last few hours.

James was the handsomest of them all! His mirror told him every morning!

And the mirror never lied.

He had actually started shaking a little, wondering if some sort of astronomical event had taken place when the signing had begun…

He loved signings. He loved talking and joking with fans. He loved flirting with them, making them giggle and be happy that they were actually getting to meet their idol, James Diamond. He loved signing his name, so he did it with a flourish. He wanted to make it as legible as possible. And he wanted it to be something they could always remember him by…which they didn't really need because who could _possibly_ forget James?

But the signing today was different than the ones he went to before.

It had been a couple months since their last one, and in that time…for some reason…Logan's popularity with the fans had skyrocketed.

Carlos and Kendall didn't seem to notice or care, but James saw it.

If James hadn't seen Logan delete the swag app himself, he would have thought the small brunet used it for today's event.

James tried to focus on the girls he met, but it was nearly impossible since he was too busy wondering if Logan was their favorite.

_He_ should be the favorite, the most adored. _He _had the best voice. _He_ had the best dance moves. _He_ had the best abs, the best body. _He_ was 'The Face'! _He_ was the most handsome!

He knew deep down that he should stop worrying so much about this. He knew that each of them had fans that adored one of the guys more than the other, and it didn't bother him at all today when a fan went crazy over Carlos or Kendall. It honestly had never bothered him that much whenever Logan received attention before either.

He knew what it was.

It was that stupid Jett thing.

Even though Jett was clearly lying to himself about being handsomer than James, Jett still _knew_ handsome. It bothered James, more than he could say. _He_ wanted to be the one Jett couldn't point to. After all his hard work on his appearance, he deserved that.

He shook his head.

He needed to stop being ridiculous. He didn't even know why he was still worrying about this. The signing was over. He had gone for his mirror almost immediately and breathed a sigh of relief when the mirror gave its trustworthy answer.

The mirror had already reassured him.

So why was this still bothering him!

* * *

><p>"Today is your lucky day!"<p>

Logan barely heard the words before he was practically sat on.

"Oof!" a small groan came out, feeling a body sit down next to him on the lounge couch _entirely_ too close. He had to shift his leg since his thigh was being smooshed.

"Uh, _excuse_ me?" he said in an annoyed voice, looking at the face the forceful body belonged to.

"Dinner and a movie," Jett proclaimed. "Thinking that new steak house, and the new Final Destination movie."

Logan blinked.

"Y-y-you, what?" he stuttered.

"To-oo-ni-ii-ght," Jett said, enunciating everything very carefully as if he were speaking to someone deaf or just slow. "Pick you up at seven." And then he stood up and just left the room, leaving Logan sitting in shock and staring at his rapidly disappearing back.

Logan couldn't wrap his mind around what just happened.

Did Jett really just ask him… _out_? Like… was it a _date_? But, Jett didn't actually ask. He just walked up and told Logan what was going to happen. Then he took off…

Logan was still feeling really weird about the Jett exchange as he walked into 2J only to collapse on the bright orange couch somewhat crookedly.

"You alright over there, buddy?" Kendall asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

The guys were all hanging around the kitchen island snacking on some cookies Mrs. Knight must've made that morning. Logan loved cookies, so if he walked by without snatching one, something was definitely up.

"I think I just got asked out," Logan said, eyes fixated on the wall next to the mounted television screen.

"Well, alr_ight_!" the guys all cheered.

"By… Jett?" Logan said.

Kendall started coughing on his cookie and Carlos wacked him on the back.

"Whoa, wait," James said. "What do you mean that you _think_ he asked you out? You're not sure? What did you say to him?"

"He didn't really ask…" Logan scrunched his face. "Just more… _told_ me what time he was picking me up. Then he left before I could say anything."

"Well… that's, um… new," Kendall said, still coughing a little, trying to clear his throat.

"I'm not surprised," James said, shrugging as he nibbled on his own cookie.

"Why's that?" Carlos asked.

"It's obvious he likes Logan," James responded. "He never once points at him during his 'I'm handsomer than you' game."

"Is that true?" Kendall asked, looking to Logan for confirmation.

"I-I, well, I guess, yeah," Logan appeared thoughtful. "I never really thought about it… or really cared."

"So… what are you going to do?" Kendall asked.

"I, well, I, I mean, I'm not _sure_ it's a date," Logan stumbled over his words. "Maybe he just wants to hang out as friends or something or wants to mess with my mind or, or, or…" His indecisive nature was making him come up with a million different options.

"Or maybe he wants to date you," James finished.

Logan twitched before sitting up and smacking his hands down on the couch on either side of him. He sighed then stood up.

"Where are you going?" Kendall asked.

"It's six o'clock…" Logan said. "I guess I'm… getting ready for my, uh… date?"

Carlos, having just taken a drink of his milk, did a spit-take, spraying the white liquid all over the table.

"You can't be serious," Kendall winced in disbelief. "Its…its _Jett_! Do you _really_ want to go out with him? He's, like, _vain!_ And he's very wasteful."

"Maybe he actually has a heart?" James said, glaring at Kendall. "Some of us _vain_ people do, you know."

"Yeah, maybe the heart of a pig! And—," Kendall realized that James was still glaring at him. "I didn't mean… look, he's an arrogant, egotistical, and vain _jerk_. Nothing like you."

"Right," James sniffed indignantly.

"So, wait," Logan held up his hands. "You have a problem with it being _Jett_ that asked me out, not that a _guy_ did?"

The guys looked at each other and shrugged.

"That's not the point. The point is its _Jett,_" Kendall said.

"Maybe he'll bring us another cheese platter," Carlos said eagerly.

"That's true," James said. "Some guys are still gentlemen, even if it _is_ Hollywood. And a true gentleman always brings presents for their dates' family. It's a rule of courting!"

"And we're Logan's family!" Carlos said, grinning from ear to ear, practically gushing, bouncing up and down. "I want presents!"

Logan and Kendall couldn't do anything but stare at the other two like they had each grown a second head.

"What are you waiting for?" Carlos said, jumping up and running to Logan. "Go, go! Get ready! He'll be here soon!"

"B-b-b-but!" Logan tried to argue as he was un-ceremonially pushed toward his room.

"Clock's ticking!" James called out, laughing at the spectacle of Carlos pushing Logan to hurry and get ready.

"This is _not_ funny," Kendall snapped at James, who just laughed even harder.

At seven o'clock on the dot, the doorbell pealed.

"I got it!" Kendall and Carlos both shouted, racing for the door.

The two fought over the doorknob before Kendall proved victorious, knocking Carlos to the floor. He swung the door open and stared for a moment. Then he glanced over his shoulder at Logan who was just exiting his room, looking annoyed that everyone kept interfering.

"Yep, it's a date," the blonde griped.

"Where's my present?" Carlos asked, frowning from his vantage point on the floor.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the newest arrival said, stepping between Kendall and the door jam, bumping him out of the way. "These are for Logan."

Logan flushed bright red and stood completely still as Jett continued into the apartment with a smirk on his face and bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"I…uh… thank you?" Logan had no idea what to say. People usually thanked other people for giving them things like red roses, so he went with the normal procedure. But it still felt very strange to be asked out _and_ given flowers by another guy.

"Wait, you can't court him if you don't court _us_," Carlos insisted, scrambling to his feet.

"Carlos, just stop," Arguing with Carlos felt familiar to Logan, so it momentarily helped him to get past his awkwardness.

Carlos pouted.

"Let's… just get this over with…" the short brunet muttered. He passed the flowers to James. "Here…um… put these in water for me… I guess?"

James took them and nodded, looking amused by the entire situation.

Logan cleared his throat, started to speak, thought better of it, and proceeded out of the apartment not waiting to see if Jett was following or not.

He was.

"Have him home by ten!" Kendall hollered after them from the doorway.

Logan's shoulders stiffened, but he didn't bother looking back to respond. He just reached the elevator and pressed the button. He frowned when he realized the finger he used was shaking. He snatched his hand back and shoved it in the pocket of his slacks.

"Does Papa Knight always set your curfew?" Jett inquired.

Logan barely glanced at Jett. He was too busy trying to figure out how exactly this entire situation happened. He could have just opened his mouth when Jett first arrived and told him he wasn't interested, or he could have told the guys not to answer the door. Instead, he went and got ready, strange butterflies kicking him in the gut the entire time, he chewed on way too many antacids, he accepted the flowers, and then he left the apartment _with_ Jett.

He was actually, _officially,_ on a date with Jett.

How in the _hell_ had this happened?

The elevator arrived and Logan practically jumped in.

"I like this date already," Jett said smirking, joining him in the elevator. "I _do_ love hearing myself talk."

Logan looked heavenward, trying hard not to roll his eyes.

When they stepped into the lobby, Logan finally let Jett lead the way. He was expecting a limo. Instead he was led to a shiny cobalt blue 2011 Porsche Boxter Convertible. He gulped. He wasn't sure if he wanted to get in a car with _him_ behind the wheel.

While Logan was hesitating, Jett walked up to the passenger side and opened the door with a flourish.

Logan went slowly to get in, stiffening when Jett put his hand against his shoulder to 'help' him into the vehicle.

He stopped his forward momentum and gripped the back of the seat with his left hand and the top of the door with his right hand. "Wait!"

He shrugged Jett's hand off and turned around, quickly, right in Jett's face.

"There will be _no _touching, _no_ arms around shoulders, _no_ accidentally bumping, _no_ hand holding, and don't even _attempt_ to cop a feel or I'm _done_!" Logan said as fiercely as he could manage though he was still shaking slightly.

Jett held his hands up in silent arrest, "Alright."

Logan tried to settle down, feeling flushed from getting worked up. He turned back to the car since Jett agreed with him. But he remembered something else and spun around once again.

"And _NO kissing!_"

Jett rolled his eyes. "How about dinner?" He motioned to the car, exasperated. "Can we do that?"

Logan nearly cursed when he flushed again, but he stopped laying down his rules—hoping he hadn't forgotten anything—and got into the car, wincing, praying he wasn't about to be driven to his death.

Logan didn't have anything to worry about.

Jett was one of the _slowest_ drivers in the world.

The television star kept his 'baby' in pristine condition. He cared about his car as much as himself. He didn't care how many people passed him on the road or rudely honked behind him. He wasn't taking any risks.

It took them way too long to reach the restaurant. Logan was having serious doubts about whether they would actually get to the movie on time later, but figured it wouldn't really matter to him if the date ended early. He didn't even _want_ to be on a date with Jett to begin with!

He kept shifting uncomfortably every time Jett treated him like a girl. He kept holding doors for him, and he made him order his dinner first. He quickly ordered the prime rib.

"The tilapia," Jett said. "Just _one_ spritz of lemon juice. The vegetables should be _steamed_, not boiled. And if there's any corn or peas in this vegetable medley, _remove_ them." He looked at Logan, "Starches are carbs, you know," he said as an aside before continuing. "And I'd like to start with a house salad. No skin on the cucumber, no onions, and if it's not a vegetable it better not be anywhere _near_ my plate."

The waiter just nodded, used to demanding arrogant males, and left to place the order.

"Who comes to a steakhouse and orders the _tilapia_?" Logan mumbled mostly to himself, probably the first coherent thing he'd said since he got into the car.

"I don't eat red meat."

Logan nearly choked on air. Why were they even _here_ if Jett didn't eat _blah_… _why am I even trying to figure him out?_

"Okay," Jett sucked in a deep breath. "I shall refrain from talking about myself for…" he looked at the face of the expensive watch on his wrist, "five minutes." He leaned forward as if he was telling Logan a secret. "Apparently I have a problem with that."

"N-no," Logan breathed out. "You're doing just fine with that." He tried not to sound too sarcastic. After all, he preferred that Jett talk, that way he didn't have to.

"He speaks!" Jett exclaimed, rather victorious. "You know this getting to know each other thing won't work unless you talk. I'm just saying."

"Getting to know…?" Logan felt like a parrot.

"Isn't that the point?" Jett asked with a weird mix of snide and sincere.

"I don't know," Logan felt completely out of his league with this conversation.

"Just say the first thing that comes to mind," Jett suggested. "I do! All the time! This?" He pointed to his mouth. "Completely unsensored!"

_No kidding._

They were interrupted by the arrival of the salads. Jett nearly had a hissy fit since there was tomato in his. Logan was half embarrassed and half impressed. While Jett's behavior was pretty rude, very few people actually knew that the tomato was a fruit, not a vegetable.

Once the waiter fixed the problem, they were silent, being interrupted only by the sound of their forks hitting their plates.

Logan shifted and finally decided to just be candid.

"I'm not gay." He looked straight at Jett when he said it instead of shying away again.

"Okay." Jett shrugged.

"But you are." It should have been a question, but it came out as more of a statement.

"Correction!" Jett said, holding a finger in the air. "I am bi-curious."

"Okay…?" _What was that supposed to mean?_

"And so are you."

"Uh, no."

"See, the difference is one who is gay only likes guys. The one who is bi likes girls _and_ guys. But the bi-curious has always liked girls but has an unusual reaction to a guy that makes him think he might be interested in one," Jett explained in his all-knowing voice.

"Oh," Logan said softly, being schooled by Jett was just wrong on so many levels.

"But it could just be a fluke," the conceited brunet said matter-of-factly. "And after tonight, I'll know I'm just straight."

"So…" Logan cleared his throat and decided it was time to really get involved in this conversation. This was the whole point of tonight. He couldn't keep ignoring what was happening by being quiet, "You had an… unusual reaction to me? What… does that even mean?"

"You're handsomer than me," he replied simply. "Ouch!" Jett clutched his chest. "That seriously hurt to admit."

Logan fought not to roll his eyes. "Sorry?"

"You should be!"

"So… all this," Logan motioned aimlessly, waving his hands vaguely, "is because you think I'm cute?"

"Yes," Jett replied unabashedly.

"Ok…" Logan trailed off, not knowing what he was supposed to say to that.

"So…?" Jett said expectantly.

"So, what?"

"Tell me what you think about me."

Logan thought really hard. He tried, but he couldn't come up with anything to tell the over eager male except for the truth.

"I don't," he answered in a rush.

"Don't what?"

"Think about you. Ever," Logan knew he sounded perfunctory, but he couldn't help it. It was the truth.

"Well, that sucks."

He actually seemed disappointed which made Logan feel bad.

"But you're thinking about me _now_, right?" Jett appeared hopeful.

"Unfortunately," the smarter one mumbled.

Jett beamed.

Apparently that was confirmation enough.

The waiter arrived just then with their main courses, removing the mostly empty salad plates. Logan breathed a sigh of relief when Jett didn't find anything to complain about.

The two ate in silence for a few moments, both absorbed in their meals and Logan deep in thought.

"What did you mean when you said that _I'm_ bi-curious…," Logan was really confused about that.

"You're here, aren't you?" Jett said, smirking.

"Yeah…but that's because you…" He spaced on what exactly Jett had done.

"Asked you out? Because I didn't," Jett pointed out. "Forced you to come? Didn't do that either."

"Because you _told me to_!" Logan finally exclaimed, exasperated.

"And you did it," Jett grinned.

He had that shit-eating look on his face that made Logan think Jett had pulled one over on him and was extremely proud of it.

"You can't make a decision to save your life, it's obvious," Jett went on. "But even then, you go with the safest choice. If I _asked_ you, I knew you'd say 'no'. So I took the choice away. And you could've just not answered the door or got your…_friends_," there was a hint of disgust on his face at that word, "to tell me to stay away from you. But you didn't. See? You're bi-curious."

"How did you even know all that about me?" Logan's mind was a little blown. All of his friends—and possibly some college recruiters—knew all about how he got when he became indecisive, but how would this… person… this… guy… the one who is too shiny to be real…how would he know about that?

"Because, even though _you_ don't think about me, I _do_ think about _you_. Not as much as I think about myself, of course," Jett was quick to clarify. "But I do."

Logan could only stare at Jett.

And Jett stared right back at him.

Their eyes met and Logan found himself unable to look away from the light green.

Logan started to feel flushed again. He knew his face was turning red, so he forced himself to look away, completely mind-boggled by the last thirty seconds.

"So," Jett pushed his half eaten plate away, "ready for the movie?"

The blushing boy wasn't sure what to say. All night he'd just been going along with what Jett told him to do. And Jett had _just_ told him he knew Logan was more likely to do something if he told him to do it instead of asking him… so he couldn't help but notice that Jett was finally asking him what he wanted to do.

And Jett was right. Logan _did_ always go with the safest choice. And this entire evening was absolutely crazy. He had never thought about a guy in any way but as a friend. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing. And it scared the crap out of him.

"Of course it won't be over until way past your 'curfew'," Jett even used air quotes around the last word, his sarcasm obvious. "So, what's it going to be? Go to the movie and miss your Kendork imposed 'curfew'?" He did the air quotes thing again. "Or do I take you home?"

Logan couldn't tell if Jett would care about his answer one way or the other; he had an incredible poker face. He knew from what Jett said that this was a test run. The star was just curious to see how a date with a guy would go, and if it really _was_ something he was into. It made sense in a logical scientific way that Logan could respect.

Now that Jett had gotten this far and valiantly pled his case, he was giving Logan an out. He was finally letting Logan make the decision. Of course, Logan still had no idea what to do. He did know one thing for sure though. If he decided to go home, that would be the end of all this.

Did he really want to continue with this date? Did he really want to see if he could enjoy something as simple as watching a movie with _Jett_, of all people? Did he _really_ want to see if he might actually _like_ Jett to the point of really dating him?

And _was_ he attracted to Jett, or not…

He wasn't really certain of anything…but…he wasn't having a terrible time… And he was in L.A., not Minnesota. No one would give him a hard time for this. Not that he really cared what other people thought, it just helped him in the decision making process because he knew agreeing to something like this wouldn't cause any problems. It was just… an experiment. _Yeah, an experiment!_ If it failed, no harm no foul. And if it didn't fail…

He'd have to think about that…much later…like, after-the-movie later.

He cleared his throat. "My curfew is really midnight."

And, astonishingly, Jett actually smiled. It wasn't a smirk, and it wasn't a sneer, and it definitely wasn't coupled with any hint of sarcasm, victory, or arrogance. It was a real smile, the first Logan had ever seen from him. He got the feeling it wasn't something he did often.

Jett raised a hand, motioning for the waiter to bring the check.

His smirk fell back into place, but he kept glancing up to peek at Logan through his lashes as he read over the check and signed the credit receipt.

When he was done, he stood up and walked to Logan's side before the darker brunet could move. Jett hesitated then reached out his hand questioningly.

Logan almost shook his head but then realized he was sort of okay with it. So he reached up his hand slowly, cursing that his fingers shook slightly once again, and took Jett's hand. He ignored the strange feeling that crawled lightly down his spine and rose to his feet.

Their hands adjusted to fit more comfortably together. Both of them stared at their entangled fingers for a moment, amazed that they were actually touching.

"This doesn't change what I said," Logan said nervously. "It's just…"

"It's _just_ holding hands, Logan, I _know_," Jett rolled his eyes though Logan could tell he was still a little rattled from the touch too. "Don't worry. I will be a _perfect_ gentleman."

Logan sure hoped so.

* * *

><p>James was feeling <em>much<em> better.

Jett didn't think Logan was handsomer because he actually _was_ handsomer. Jett thought Logan was handsomer because he was _attracted_ to him. Who would have thought that Jett was gay?

Well, a lot of people, but James still always assumed the self-important television star was into girls only. He _had_ dated all of his female co-stars and made a pretty strong effort to repeat the process with Jo. Plus, he constantly did whatever he could to show off how close a proximity he had to Jo before she left for New Zealand. Jett was definitely _not_ one of Kendall's favorite people—and James had to stifle his laughter at the look on Kendall's face when Logan actually _left_ with him.

Kendall had spent the next hour or so going on and on about how much he hated Jett and how he should have never let Logan leave with him. As the time drew closer and closer to ten o'clock, Kendall was getting more and more antsy, wondering why the date was lasting as long as it was. He didn't know how Logan could last more than an hour in Jett's presence.

When ten o'clock came and went, Kendall had to finally admit defeat.

James was happy that Logan was having a good time—he had to be or he would have used Kendall's fake curfew time as an excuse to get home earlier—and he was also happy when Kendall finally stopped complaining to everyone.

But he was mostly just ecstatic that he could reaffirm that _he_ was the handsomest of all.

He took off for his room around eleven, figuring if Logan wasn't home by now he was going to stay out until Mama Knight's curfew. If James tried to stay up until midnight, the bags under his eyes the next day would be a horror to try to cover up.

As part of his nightly ritual, he changed into a tight black tank and a comfortable pair of boxers. He entered the connecting bathroom to relieve himself and take care of other necessities, like brushing his teeth, before getting to the really important part—his face. He washed the smooth planes thoroughly, exfoliating away any nastiness the day might have worn into his pores, then smoothed on the moisturizer he swore by. Ever since he started using this new moisturizer, nary a pimple had tried to rear its ugly head and his skin even appeared to glow. Also, he didn't have to use _nearly_ as much cover up for his annoying rosy cheek tendency.

Once he was ready for bed, he stopped to stand in front of his trusty mirror.

He grinned, loving the gleam of his perfect teeth set straight and surrounded by his perfect lips. He eyes lit up at the obvious joy on his handsome face. His confidence had been completely and totally restored after the events of that day.

He closed his eyes tightly and whispered the familiar words to himself.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the handsomest of them all…."

He opened his eyes and, yep, there he was.

James Diamond was the most handsome, the cream of the crop, the beautiful pane of glass that formed on the beach when a lightning bolt struck the wide expanse of handsome grains of sand. There was plenty of handsome in this world… he just happened to be the handsomest.

The mirror never lied.

* * *

><p>"A carnival?" Kendall winced. Logan was his best friend and he would do just about anything for him, but go to a carnival? Jo's leaving was still too fresh a wound. "I haven't been to one of those since…" he couldn't complete the sentence, "…and the spinning thing…and the tunnel…and…"<p>

"You don't _have_ to go…" Logan said, though it was obvious he really did want Kendall to. "I'm just nervous."

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed," the blonde said sarcastically.

It had been two weeks since Jett took Logan on their first date. Since then, Logan had gone out with Jett a few more times. Kendall was trying to be supportive of Logan's weird _relationship_—if one could even call it that—but he'd always hated Jett with the fire of a thousand suns! Well, maybe just one sun, but it was still hard for him to figure out what his genius best friend saw in that…that… _Jett!_

He knew that Logan was more confused than he was himself, so he tried to cover up his dislike and act like everything was normal for the sake of his friend. Logan had always been able to come to him for advice on everything and Kendall refused to let anyone get in the way of that.

But going with Logan and Jett to a carnival? That was pushing things quite a bit. It was obvious that Jett meant this to be an actual date and not a group hangout like Logan was attempting to turn it into.

"This is all just _really_ crazy," Logan tried to explain. "I don't understand what's going on half the time! I keep saying 'yes' when he asks me, but inside I keep screaming 'I'm not gay!'"

"I know," Kendall said, giving a sympathizing look meant to help calm his friend.

"I'm not… right?"

Kendall knew this was coming as soon as the conversation started. Logan asked that question at least once a day, hoping that Kendall would give him a different answer. But Kendall would never answer that question by agreeing or disagreeing. Logan looked to Kendall for guidance, but this was one thing that only _Logan_ could decide for himself.

"You know I can't answer that," he repeated the same thing he'd said every day for the past two weeks. "You either are, or you aren't, and either way, you're just Logan to me. It's up to you to decide who 'Logan' is. I'm not going to do it for you."

Logan sighed and sank further into his chair at the table, dropping his head forward to smack the tabletop, completely frustrated.

_BOOM!_

Both boys jumped as Carlos came rushing into the apartment, slamming the door with his usual gusto so you could hear things rattling throughout the apartment.

"Hey guys!" Carlos raced to his room, not stopping, clearly on a mission.

He returned half a second later carrying a large wooden chair.

"Bye guys!" Carlos raced out of the apartment.

_BOOM!_

They both winced, wondering if Carlos would ever learn to stop slamming the front door.

Logan must have remembered what they were talking about before being interrupted because he slumped back down onto the tabletop.

Kendall wished he could do something more to help him, but short of telling him what to do there wasn't anything else he _could_ do.

He really had no problem whatsoever if Logan decided he was gay, bi, asexual, or straight as a ruler. He just wished he could figure it out. And he really wished it wasn't Jett. But, he supposed the guy was a necessary evil at the moment.

Logan sighed and grabbed the back of his neck. "But, if I'm not gay, then why do I keep going out with him? What's wrong with me?"

Kendall didn't bother giving him an answer, instead he asked, "So what's so different about _this_ date that you want to drag me and the guys with you?"

"It's a _carnival_!" Logan enunciated the word as if Kendall should magically understand him from that explanation alone.

When Kendall just gave him a vague look, Logan went on. "Ferris Wheel? Sharing cotton candy? The **TUNNEL **of _**LOVE?**_ This isn't dinner and a movie, or hanging out at the mall. I've done this before, with Camille, remember?"

"How could I forget?" the blonde muttered, grimacing as he remembered happier times with Jo.

"This is romantic, and I'm not entirely sure I'm _ready_ for _romantic_," the brunet crossed his arms over his chest, holding himself tightly and looked pleadingly at his friend. "Please, please, _please_, go with us?"

Logan must really be freaking out if he would resort to begging for this.

"Tell you what, I'll just tell _every_body," Kendall did a sweeping gesture with his hand, "and we'll all meet up there. We'll just pretend we all had the same idea so Jett won't know you're still scared."

"I'm not scared. And I don't care if Jett knows… but I guess I should leave now then. We'll meet you there at six, okay?"

"But…that's an hour from now. Why are you going to leave this early?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Jett drives like a snail and won't allow anyone else behind the wheel."

"Who owns a Porsche and doesn't drive fast?"

"My boyfr—," Logan nearly choked on his words, and Kendall would have done a spit-take if he had been drinking something just then. "Jett. Yeah, ha-ha-ha…" his voice quieted down. "I'm leaving now."

Kendall's mouth had dropped open when Logan nearly called Jett his boyfriend. And he was still in a great position for catching flies as he watched Logan nearly race from the room, stumbling into a table and a chair, wincing in pain but not wanting to stop. It was like Logan was running from the words he nearly said.

The blonde sighed and took his phone out of his pocket to start texting people. He probably shouldn't bother; he was fairly certain Logan had subconsciously already made his decision. If that were the case, it would be better _for_ Logan to be alone with Jett tonight. But, he already told Logan he would and he couldn't break his word.

He gritted his teeth together though when he realized he needed to accept a certain truth.

Jett Stetson was going to be a part of his life whether he liked it or not.

_Hockey pucks!_

* * *

><p>He really hadn't thought this through well.<p>

When Logan agreed to Kendall's plan, he was happy knowing that he wouldn't have to be alone with Jett the entire night. He just forgot to tell Kendall who _not_ to invite.

From the minute he and Jett arrived, Camille had practically attached herself to his side.

No one else at The Palm Woods knew that Jett and Logan had gone on a few dates and were 'getting to know' each other. Most of the residents thought—if they even had one—was that Logan and Jett had somehow become friends and that was why they had hung out a few times. No one was suspicious of the truth at all.

Least of all Camille.

Logan had been in the worlds' craziest on-and-off-again relationship with her since his arrival in L.A. He'd been trying to figure out for a while, long before Jett approached him, what to do with the whole Camille situation. She never pushed him to admit if he still had feelings for her, and he just put his feelings on the backburner, forever running away from a difficult decision he wasn't ready to make.

And now it was coming back to bite him in the ass.

Kendall had gotten the other guys, Camille, the Jennifers, Guitar Dude, and Katie to show up. But things had deteriorated rather quickly. Guitar Dude was always in his own little world and had wondered off before anyone noticed he was missing. The Jennifers always did their own thing anyway and after spending five minutes scoffing at random things, had taken off back to the hotel. They claimed the carnival was too dirty.

Carlos was immediately lured by all the marvelous smells that greeted them upon arrival, so he dragged James with him—probably to get him to buy things.

Logan wouldn't have minded everyone splitting off like that. He was actually relieved to have just Kendall with him. But then Katie started tugging on Kendall's hand, begging her 'Big Brother' to take her to the Ferris Wheel—one of the things Logan was desperately trying to stay _away_ from. With an apologetic wave, Kendall took off, his face saying he didn't have any other choice.

Logan smelled a rat.

But he wasn't sure if Kendall was involved or not. Either way, Katie was up to something. And now it was just him, Jett, and Camille.

The night just became one hundred times worse.

Camille wouldn't leave him alone, and Logan could tell that Jett was getting frustrated.

It wasn't just that Camille was hanging with them either. It was all the other little things.

When Logan bought a thing of cotton candy, Camille commandeered it "allowing" Logan to have some. She didn't let Jett near it though; she didn't really know him enough to share any food stuff with him. To her, it was weird when Jett went for it. As for her pilfering it from him in the first place, Logan knew Camille was just teasing and trying to be funny, so it only bothered him a little bit. Used to be, he wouldn't have had any problem with it.

When they got on a two-seater ride and Camille made sure to jump in the seat next to him before Jett got a chance, Logan knew that he needed to do something. Even though he didn't want to be completely alone with Jett for this date, it still wasn't fair to him to have to deal with Logan's ex-girlfriend all night. He shouldn't have done this. He should have forgotten about everyone else and just gone out with Jett alone. It's not like Jett had ever done anything that wasn't proper around Logan. He'd been a perfect gentleman the past couple of weeks. They still held hands sometimes, but Jett never just grabbed for him. He always asked first. Jett hadn't touched him in any other way, hadn't even made an attempt to kiss him.

The truth was…Logan lied to Kendall. He didn't want the other guys there because he wasn't ready for a romantic date. He wanted them there because he thought he _was_ ready, and that scared him even more than he thought possible. Logan was afraid that _he_ would be the one to finally kiss Jett, not the other way around. Having the other guys there would keep him from taking that final step.

A step that, once it was made, there would be no going back. Logan wouldn't just be curious anymore. He would _know_ unequivocally.

He knew that normally Jett would have blurted out something rude to get Camille to go away by now, but anything that came out might give away the current 'friend'-ship between the two guys. Logan didn't really mind anyone knowing _about_ it…he just wanted to wait until he was absolutely sure it was something he wanted to do. Why make a big deal about something that wasn't really true? So Jett kept his mouth shut for Logan. The genius knew that was why he hadn't been as rude and blunt to Camille as only _he_ could be. But Logan could also tell that Jett was growing bored quickly. He kept taking tiny annoyed pot-shots at Camille verbally, but nothing too brassy.

It wasn't going to last long though.

When Camille, at last, had to use the restroom—where the boys could not follow—Jett took the opportunity to try to get Logan to take action.

"Tell her to go away," the frustrated male said.

"I _can't_," Logan sighed, frustrated too. There was no feasible explanation to _get_ Camille to leave.

"Well, do _some_thing," Jett griped.

"I don't know what to do," Logan was disgruntled that he sounded a little panicked.

"I wanted to spend tonight with _you_," Jett whined. "Get on the rides with _just_ you. Go on the Ferris Wheel with _just_ you. She's ruining everything. And she's entirely too _happy_ all the time."

"She's not roonin' everything…" Logan denied unconvincingly. "We're still having fun, right?"

"You know you're cute when you say 'ruin' like that," Jett was momentarily distracted. "_Rooooon_."

Logan shook his head. "I know you're jealous but I don't know how to get rid of her. Maybe we should just call it a night."

Jett furrowed his brow. "Jealous? Who said I was jealous?"

"It's pretty obvious."

"Please, I don't get jealous. You either want to be with me or you don't. Besides, in order for there to even be a _chance_ for me to be jealous, we would have to be in a committed relationship," Jett explained pointedly, like Logan should already know all this. "We're not. We're just dating. Which means either of us can see whoever we want. I'm not jealous of her. I'm mad because this is _my_ date with you. Go date her some other time."

Logan looked wide-eyed at Jett. "But I don't… we're not...s-she and I haven't gone out for a while… b-b-but…" Logan felt a little sick when he realized what Jett was saying without saying it.

"What?" Jett gave him a strange look when he noticed Logan looked a little nauseous. "Do _not_ throw up cotton candy on me."

"Are you… _dating_… other people?" Logan asked as normally as possible, his stomach felt like butterflies were being murdered.

"Well, no," Jett broadcasted, shrugging.

Logan breathed a sigh of relief.

"But doesn't mean I, or you, can't," Jett continued.

Logan wanted to punch a wall. He normally didn't react with this much anger. He looked to the girls' restroom, relieved to see that Camille still hadn't come out. The line must be really long. He had to do something about this situation _now_. He didn't know what to do, but… the idea of Jett dating anyone else was getting to him. He needed to get alone time with Jett so he didn't get distracted by someone else before Logan could decide what he really wanted.

Ignoring the tiny voice in his head telling him, once again, that he wasn't gay, Logan pulled his cell phone out and dialed Kendall, hoping the blonde would come to his rescue.

"Yeah?"

"We're at the restrooms by the Tilt-a-Whirl. Come and get Camille to go away. _Please_?"

"I can't," Logan could hear a sneeze in the background followed by a groan. "I have to take Katie home. She's all _sneezy_ and her head hurts. Sorry, bro."

Logan wanted to say something more but knew it would be fruitless. Even if Katie wasn't really sick Kendall would be the ever dutiful brother and take care of his little sister.

He hung up quickly and tried to dial Carlos and James; neither one answered their phone. He looked to the bathroom door again and knew that she _had_ to be coming out any minute and if that happened he wouldn't be able to search for anyone to take her off his hands.

"I'm gonna try to find Carlos or James," Logan said, stuffing the phone back in his pants. "Make one of them come back here and get her to go hang with them. You stay here. I don't want her to think we left her." Jett nodded and rolled his eyes, but settled in to wait as if he had a million other better things to do.

"With any luck, I'll be all yours in ten minutes," Logan said quickly, turning to run off. He froze in his walk for half a second when he realized what he just said, then took off again, hoping not to draw too much attention to his parting words.

Five minutes later he finally caught sight of James.

"James!" he yelled as loud as he could across the loud and busy area, but the sound was drowned out by the crowd. Relieved to see his friend, Logan stopped yelling and just raced through the throng, groaning when he spotted James ducking into a building up ahead. Logan didn't feel like trying to find the tall brunette in _there_, but who knew how long it would be before he came back out.

* * *

><p>Carlos managed to meet a girl at the water gun horseracing game. James had made himself scarce once he realized the girl actually liked the lovable Latino even though he managed to accidentally spray water all over her when he was distracted. Normally, James would help save the poor girl, but after she made a comment to Carlos that he should be used to keeping a 'steady stream' by now, he knew they would be fine. Carlos might blush his face off though and act completely <em>dopey<em> before the night was over, but that was just Carlos.

James didn't mind being by himself at the carnival. It wasn't like it was the first time. He would just mosey around and see if he saw anyone worthy of his time. He could try to meet up with Logan, but Kendall had given him and Carlos strict orders to stay away from Logan, Jett, and Camille. James wasn't sure what Kendall was up to, but he wasn't going to interfere at _all_.

When he came to a certain building, he couldn't help but smile. He must have missed this the last time he came with the guys. He was pleased that there wasn't a long line; in fact, there wasn't a line at all. He walked up to the entrance and entered without a backward glance.

He traveled down a dimly lit hallway before going through a set of black drapes and entering a world of beauty. All around him, a maze of glass was placed intricately. And off of every surface shown the most handsome specimen of man—James Diamond in all his glory.

He grinned.

_This _was his new favorite part of the carnival! He got lost in the mirror puzzle, not caring that he had no clue where the entrance or exit was. He paused to strike a pose in one mirror, attempting to look bored. That didn't last long because he was enjoying himself too much! Then he came to a row of mirrors that radiated out on either side, an infinite number of James'. He winked, then laughed as all the James' winked too and then laughed.

James was truly in heaven. He couldn't help it. He really did love looking at himself and knowing he looked completely flawless.

He found himself breaking into a quick dance, watching all the mirrors reflect his foot shuffle and quick spin.

Inevitably, he couldn't resist playing his favorite game!

He stopped spinning and came to a stop, squeezing his eyelids closed as tight as possible. He grinned then asked with all the confidence in the world: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the handsomest of them all?"

Sweeping his arms out wide, he opened his eyes and look at the mirrors all around him.

And then gasped in horror.

Logan.

Logan.

Logan.

Logan's face was in every mirror.

Logan's mouth was open as he called out James' name, looking every which way. It was obvious that even though James could see Logan, the shorter male could not see him. Which was good because James couldn't do anything but slowly turn, and turn, in circles, hoping to find just _one_ image of himself. It was useless. The mirrors were concaved. They were warped. They were placed intricately throughout the entire room, all showing the same image of an average height dark haired boy with a crooked grin, chocolate eyes, and skin the palest white, like snow.

He couldn't take it anymore. He started running up and down corridors, trying to find a way to escape. Everywhere he turned, the mirrors were in his face, mocking him. The mirrors now showed_ his_ face, but it was too late. The mirror had already revealed what James had been denying all along…

Logan Mitchell was the handsomest of them all.

He ran and ran and ran, thankfully avoiding Logan completely, before finally finding the exit and escaping into the crowded night, not once looking back.

He couldn't do anything but run from the truth.

And the _truth_ it was.

The truth it _must_ be…

…because the mirror never lied.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I'm sorry," Logan said regrettably, rushing up to Jett some twenty minutes after he left him, only slightly out of breath. "I saw James but he disappeared before I could catch up."<p>

He paused to breathe and realized something… "Where's Camille? She's still not back yet? That's a _really_ long line."

Jett grinned smugly, leaning back against the bench he was sitting on, spreading his arms out to stretch across the back of the seat. "I told her the cotton candy made you sick."

Logan couldn't help it. As the words and their meaning—that Camille must have taken off after Jett told her he'd gone home sick—began to sink in, a huge cake eating grin slowly grew on his face.

Jett stood up, dusted off his shoulder and casually held out a hand, "Ferris Wheel?"

He'd been fighting with himself all night, hoping to prevent this from happening, and now that the moment had arrived…

It was the easiest thing in the world to take Jett's hand, grin still firmly in place, and follow him to the most romantic ride at the carnival.

Now, some might argue with him, that the Tunnel of Love was the most romantic, but Logan disagreed. The tunnel had things to see and focus on _other_ than your significant other. On the giant ride in the sky, the only things to focus on were the stars and the person sitting next to you.

Logan was tired.

He was getting really tired of fighting with himself. He just wanted to relax and enjoy himself instead of worrying about whether he was making the right decision. For once, Logan just wanted to go with the flow…and the way his hand fit perfectly in Jett's pretty much told him all he _really_ needed to know.

* * *

><p>James felt like a caged animal.<p>

He felt completely powerless.

He didn't know what to do!

Somehow, Logan had surpassed him! How was that even possible? Logan didn't even care what he looked like most of the time! Logan, who wore _sweater vests_, for crying out loud! Logan, who could just roll out of bed and not even worry about what his hair looked like—that wasn't _handsome_! It was sloppy and, and, and…

James wanted to scream.

He worked hard to achieve the same level of perfection daily! _He_ deserved the title of most handsome! What did Logan do? _Nothing!_ Why couldn't the mirror see that? How could his trusty mirror possibly even _contemplate_ reassigning his title!

He couldn't understand any of this and it was going to slowly drive him insane! First, mister annoyingly handsome himself, Jett Stetson, thinks Logan is handsomer than James…then all the fans start to flock to Logan, showering him in attention to rival that received for the other three in the group. _James_ was supposed to be the favorite in the band! It was _his_ idea to be a pop star in the first place!

None of it seemed to mean anything though.

Especially not to the mirror on the wall.

James froze in front of the looking glass perched in the middle of the living room in 2J. He stared at himself, ignoring his frazzled appearance and instead zooming in on any flaws he could detect. Besides his slightly flushed cheeks and somewhat windblown hair from practically running all the way home, he couldn't see _anything_! He was completely flawless! Every part of his face and body was as it was supposed to be!

He wanted to punch the mirror. He even felt his right hand clench into a tight fist. The only thing holding him back was the possibility of slicing his hand open and garnering an unsightly scar. He'd _really_ be flawed then.

He backed away from the mirror, still staring into its depths, and slowly sat on one of the stools at the kitchen island. He stared, searching desperately for an answer…and wishing this hopeless feeling would just go away.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but it must have been a while because before he knew it, Logan was home and Jett was following him into the apartment.

He felt like he was in a fog.

If he'd been more aware and not so upset, he might have noticed that the level of awkwardness that usually permeated the air around Jett and Logan since they started "dating" each other was gone. He might have seen that the two were actually holding hands in front of him—something the guys had heard about from Logan but never seen because the shorter brunette always felt uncertain about displays of affection in front of his friends. He might have noticed that Logan seemed more at ease with himself than he'd been in, well, _ever_.

Instead, he just sat with his head in that same foggy state. He barely nodded when the guys greeted him. Logan spoke to him, the sound of his voice tinny and far away. James understood that his friend was telling him about trying to find him at the carnival before he disappeared into the Hall of Mirrors. He also knew that Logan laughed it off before heading to the fridge, taking out a pitcher of tea to presumably pour two glasses for Jett and himself. He forced a small shake of his own head when Logan asked James if he wanted any.

The other two were joking and laughing, James wasn't even sure what the discussion was about. He was too busy staring at Logan, trying to understand what made him so much more handsome.

"I'm just saying, that is a _lot_ of carbs," Jett said.

"But, c'mon, it's Winnie the Pooh," Logan argued. "He _has _to have his honey."

"Now those bees?" Jett pointed out. "_They_ did all the work. _They_ deserved that honey."

"Why are we even talking about this?" Logan shook his head and took a sip of his tea.

"Because you wanted to see some kid movie?" Jett said, shrugging.

"No… I didn't want to see a movie where cowboys tried to defeat aliens," the shorter brunet shook his head. "It's illogical. Cowboys didn't have the necessary artillery to defeat the much further advanced beings from the intergalactic worlds that surround planet Earth. Winnie the Pooh would be preferable to _that_ farce."

"Because talking animals are _so_ real?" Jett smirked.

"Well, _you_ talk, don't you?" Logan deadpanned.

"Ooh, _burn_," Jett rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Winnie is like Scooby Doo. Always eating this or that and _none_ of it is good for them. Why couldn't they just eat one of _these_?"

Jett reached into the fruit bowl in the middle of the dining room table and plucked a shiny red apple out of it.

Logan shrugged. "Should dogs or bears eat apples? I don't know."

"I thought you knew everything, _Doc_ Mitchell," Jett said with a smirk.

"I wanna be a doctor of humans, _not_ animals," the genius pointed out. "So, I can only tell you that, yes, humans _should_ eat apples. An apple a day, keeps the doctor away after all." Logan winked.

"In that case," Jett looked at the apple in disgust. "I want _my_ doctor right here," he winked at Logan in return and tossed the apple in James' direction, "You can have it!"

Despite the massive confusion and feelings of resentment circling around in James' brain—and even though he was still practically glowering at Logan—his quick hockey reflexes made it possible for him to catch the apple that the annoying brunet tossed at him.

James looked at the apple in his hand, but made no movement or attempt to talk.

Logan blushed red. "Okay, um… so, James, I know that sounded weird… and I wanted to tell you something… was going to do it later…and with the other guys, but since he just said that, I should probably let you know, that… we're… I mean, me and Jett… Jett and me… we're… like, _together, _together… okay?"

James was too absorbed in staring at the apple, lost in his own little world, to give Logan a proper response—or even realize that a response was necessary.

Jett snickered. "Why are you so nervous about this? The guys have each taken turns telling me they'll kick my ass if I harm one hair on your head, but none of them told me to stay away. As much as your _friends_ get on my nerves—and that dork friend of yours is a thorn in my side—they…" Jett yawned like he was pretending he wasn't about to say something nice, "have your back. They don't care who you're dating. So stop being so bashful."

Logan's mouth opened and closed, not sure what to say. He didn't know the guys had all spoken to Jett. He looked everywhere before his gaze settled on James again. "It's just at the carnival…on the Ferris Wheel... I decided I wanted to… um…"

"Or maybe James should get the _bashful_ title," Jett interrupted, still continuing his own conversation and ignoring Logan's fragmented jargon. "Your cheeks are _really _red, man."

James may be lost in his own world, but just the mention of his face brought him back long enough to glare in horror at Jett and bring a hand up to splay across his face, his nose resting in the crook between his thumb and pointer finger, while his fingers covered the high points of his cheekbones.

The light foundation James applied earlier must have worn away and, since he was so worked up, the bane of his existence was on complete display for Logan's new boyfriend (that much he had deciphered subconsciously during Logan's stuttering).

James was absolutely horrified. As if losing his title wasn't bad enough, Jett Stetson now knew about his disgusting calamity.

"Oh, he has rosy cheeks," Logan explained, relieved that he didn't have to keep trying to explain that he had decided and admitted to Jett on that Ferris Wheel that he liked him and wanted to keep going out with him—and _only_ him…._and_ vice-versa. Logan wasn't taking any chances. His stomach got too upset at the idea of Jett dating other people to wait another minute to make sure Jett understood that they were now in a relationship and Logan wasn't going to stand for any of that.

"It looks like rosacea but it's not," Logan went on to explain to Jett, not even realizing that James was now glaring at him. "They just look really red sometimes. He hates it though, so we don't really talk about it."

"Well," Jett shrugged, "not everyone can be as perfect as me…" His eyes met Logan's in an all-too-familiar way, "or you." He said grinning suggestively.

Logan could feel himself getting lost in those pale green eyes again. On their first date, their eyes connecting across dinner had been the first time Logan ever physically felt something toward Jett. It had happened numerous times over the past couple weeks of their dating too, but tonight was different. Tonight he wasn't just getting lost in Jett's eyes. He was getting lost in his _boyfriend's_ eyes—the boyfriend who he had yet to kiss.

It was really too bad Logan was too busy getting lost in his new boyfriend's eyes to realize that James was livid. If Logan had been paying more attention, he might have realized that the entire conversation that just took place would serve to make James have one of his epic diva freak-outs.

But he didn't realize it.

So when James, who was seated about four feet away, gritted his teeth and said, "Hey, Logan, think fast!" and launched the apple as hard as he could straight at Logan's face …

…Logan didn't have time to do anything but look up.

* * *

><p>"What the hell!" Jett shouted, jumping up and rushing around the table. "What did you do?"<p>

James was staring in shock.

The fog was definitely gone now. All traces of resentment and anger had disappeared.

_What the hell did I just do?_

"Logan!" James jumped to his feet and went racing to Logan too.

The stupid apple had slammed right into the middle of his forehead—hitting his temple dead-on—knocking him out immediately.

"Just, back off, or something!" Jett snarled at James, pushing him back when he squatted next to him, clearly pissed off. "Don't people who pass out need air?"

"I don't know!" James practically squeaked. "_He's_ the future doctor."

"What's going on?"

Neither of them noticed one of the bedroom doors had opened, but Kendall came out looking really _sleepy_. "Everyone's being all loud and I think I'm coming down with whatever Katie has…" he trailed off when he saw that Logan was pretty much passed out on the floor with the other two around him—Jett crouched right next to him and James hovering on his other side, clearly wanting to crouch down too. "Carlos!" He hollered in James and Carlos' room on his way over to the frantic boys. He knew their younger friend wouldn't want to be left out of knowing that Logan was injured. He knew Carlos would wake up and come, so he just kept going until he reached James' side. "What happened?"

"He hit him with an apple!" Jett tattled, waving a hand at James. "Threw it _right_ at him."

"It's an apple! Not a baseball!" James argued. "And I thought he would catch it!"

"You threw it at him like you were Jered Weaver!" Jett exclaimed referring to the famous pitcher. "_No_ one could have caught that in time!"

"Okay, okay," Kendall muttered, sliding into place on the floor on Logan's other side. "We need ice or something so it doesn't bruise or get bigger… and, um… I don't know… he needs to wake up."

James practically sprinted for the freezer to grab for an ice pack.

"_No,_ really?" Jett said sarcastically. "Thanks, mister states-the-obvious."

Kendall ignored Jett, too worried about Logan to care if the jerk was poking fun at him.

"Logan! Hey, Logan!" Kendall said loudly, patting his shoulder and shaking him slightly. "Logan! Wake up!" The young genius was out cold.

"Gimmie that!" Jett grabbed the ice pack out of James' hand and started to put it on Logan's head.

"Wait!" Carlos called out, just arriving and wrestling with the t-shirt he was in the middle of pulling over his head. He took the all too familiar situation in quickly. "Put a towel or something around it. Don't you know anything?"

Jett glared at Carlos then at James, "No, sorry, I'm not familiar with fruit abuse!"

"Just put this on it first," Carlos tossed a dry dish towel he got from a kitchen drawer at the kneeling brunet.

After the thin towel and ice was in place, Kendall resumed his efforts to shake Logan awake to no avail.

"The only thing left I can think to do is slap him?" Kendall asked around, wondering if he should really do that.

"And give him _further_ brain damage?" Jett argued. "I don't think so."

"He's not brain damaged," James was quick to deny that could be a possibility. "He just needs to sleep it off."

"I don't want to let him keep sleeping," Kendall said. "He could have a concussion. If he does, and he doesn't wake up soon, he might not _wake_ up, okay? So, what now?"

The guys all looked around at each other, at a complete loss.

"C'mon, guys, think of something, anything!" James practically shouted, frantic. He didn't want to even _think _that he might have put his best friend in a coma. Someone had to _do _something! "I'll call 911!"

"You could kiss him."

All the guys looked up at Carlos who had spoken the strangest idea yet, they all responded at once.

"Say what?" Kendall raised an eyebrow.

"Me?" James raised his own eyebrow at the absurdity of that possibility.

"Hey, now," Jett started.

"No," Carlos rolled his eyes and motioned to the disgruntled brunet on the floor. "_Jett_ should kiss him. It's what they do in those movies I had to watch with my baby sister," Carlos shrugged. "It's all I can think of. The prince kissed the… er, princess… and she woke up."

Kendall ran a hand down his face. "Dude, you did _not_ just compare Logan to Snow White. Yes, Snow White woke up with true love's first kiss, but don't be ridiculous. This isn't a fairy tale!"

"It's worth a try," James mumbled, even while he dug through his pockets for his cell phone, trying to remember where he put it.

"Are you serious?" Kendall looked at James in disbelief.

"I'll call for an ambulance," James mumbled, backing down from Kendall, deciding not to argue the point. "Carlos, go get Mrs. Knight."

Jett had gone suspiciously quiet.

"Just keep shaking him," Kendall instructed the silent boy. "I'll be back." He went running for the kitchen sink, anxious to fill a cup with water. He didn't want to toss it in Logan's face, but he had a last minute thought that it might work.

Jett looked down at the sleeping boy, contemplating what Carlos had said. He knew he wasn't allowed to kiss Logan until he was given permission…but that _had_ been before they were officially a couple. The only reason they hadn't kissed on the Ferris Wheel after Logan told him he wanted to be with him was because it started moving down to let them off. The stupid thing had literally jerked forward when Jett was a hairsbreadth away from discovering what his boyfriend's lips felt like on his.

"I dunno if this will work," Jett mumbled, peeking around to make sure none of the guys were paying attention, "but don't get mad at me either way. I had to try."

So Jett moved the towel and icepack out of the way, and leaned down and gently kissed the bruise that was starting to form on his forehead. Then he pulled back and stared down at Logan's lips. He'd spent way too much time thinking about kissing him. He was the one who started this entire thing, and he knew he had to be patient…patience was _not_ Jett Stetson's strong suit. But… he wanted Logan, and would respect his wishes. He really, _really_ liked Logan. He had even lied at the carnival. He had been a _little_ bit jealous about Camille. He made up that stuff about not caring if Logan dated other people, and he also suggested that _he_, himself, could date other people—which was the biggest laugh of all. He hadn't been interested in anyone except for the handsome genius since be_fore_ they started dating. Somehow, and he didn't know how it had happened, Jett had seriously come to care for Logan. He might even care about him more than he cared about himself… and that was definitely a first. He would do anything if it meant helping Logan, even try a completely ridiculous suggestion from the biggest dope of the group.

So he pressed his lips against Logan's, gently, as soft as possible, just running his lips against his boyfriend's.

It was the shortest, most gentle kiss ever, but it was enough.

Logan shifted.

"What are you doing?" Kendall said from behind Jett's back. "You didn't! Did you?"

Jett ignored the stupid blonde leader who had nearly ruined the entire moment. He was certain he'd felt Logan move slightly, and that was more important than arguing with the blockhead behind him.

"Logan?" Jett asked, pressing his fingertips to the side of Logan's face, hoping he would wake up. "Logan?"

Logan moved his face toward the fingers, disoriented, but definitely waking up.

"Oh my God!" Kendall dropped the cup of water, not caring that it went all over the floor. He was too excited. "Carlos! James! He's awake!"

The guys came racing back in, Carlos having been unsuccessful as yet at waking up the snoring mama bear, Mrs. Knight, and James shouting into his phone, "Never mind, we're good!"

Logan looked up at Jett and smiled, "Hey."

"Hey," Jett smiled too. Then the smile faded. "Look, I know I was supposed to wait for permission, but Carlos said I should kiss you to wake you up, and it was pretty good—if I do say so myself," he tilted his head cockily, then went back to making excuses, "but I know what you said, and I should have waited for the ambulance but—"

Logan cut off Jett's endless prattle by reaching a hand up around his neck, fingers digging softly into the hair at the nape, and dragging his boyfriend down into their first real kiss.

Carlos, James, and Kendall all looked at each other.

They all knew this would happen eventually. From the moment Logan came home, freaking out about the possibility of being gay, they knew he was. It wouldn't bother him that much if he didn't already know deep down that it was true. It had just taken him a while to figure it out on his own.

They had all given Jett fair warning. If he ever hurt Logan, he would live to regret it.

They always did their duty as best friends—even if they sometimes 'accidentally' injured one another—and they knew almost immediately that the next part of their job was to vacate the area immediately.

So Kendall quietly dropped a towel onto the water puddle he'd made when he dropped his cup. He headed to his room, glad to get back to sleep. Carlos and James were right behind him, heading for their room as quietly as humanly possible, giving the two on the floor ample privacy.

Logan finally pulled back. Though still _very_ disoriented from the hit to his head, he honestly couldn't believe how everything was turning out—or how perfect that kiss was. He breathed deeply when Jett rested his forehead against his, being careful of the bruise forming.

"We're really doing this…" Logan said softly.

"Yeah…"

They stared into each other's eyes until Jett broke the silence.

"You know what this means, right?"

Logan grew suspicious when he saw Jett's smarmy smirk.

"What?"

"_I'm_ the prince, and _you're_ the princess!"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Your arrogance is showing."

"Thank you, I work hard on that," he responded with a wink.

* * *

><p>James stared into his bedroom mirror.<p>

It had been two weeks since that fateful night when he 'accidentally' hurt his best friend. Logan had brushed it off, assuming James was just trying to play with him by tossing the apple and things had just gone horribly wrong. It wouldn't have been the first time one in their group did something like that.

James would go to his grave before telling anyone that it wasn't an accident. He would rather die than admit that he had purposefully wanted to hurt Logan in his fit of insane anger. He hadn't realized what he was doing until after it happened, but that had still been his intent. Maybe it was because Logan had revealed the secret about his skin problem...or maybe he wanted to somehow disfigure him, just to get his title back. He hoped that last part wasn't true, but in all honesty he hadn't been in his right mind that night, so he could never know for certain.

And that scared him.

James had never felt more disgusted with himself, or _ugly_.

Now that he'd had time to really _think_ about what had happened, he realized he was being an idiot. He had actually allowed himself to believe in a stupid, childish game. Of _course_ the mirror showed his image every time he closed his eyes and stood in front of it. He wasn't a witch or warlock or even an evil step mother. He was a teenager. A teenager standing in front of a basic, simple mirror. And when someone goes into a Hall of Mirrors? They should expect to look into a mirror and see something or someone else. That was the whole point of that particular fun house—to create an optical illusion that made you go "Ooo, ahhhh". If Logan hadn't shown up when he did, James would have opened his eyes and seen nothing in the mirrors around him. Did that mean that _no one_ was handsomest of them all? No. It just meant no one was standing in front of the mirror!

Seriously, how stupid could he be?

It was just a mirror.

It was just his reflection.

_That_ was all.

And today he had finally decided to end this forever.

He was going to stand in front of the mirror and play his old game. And he knew that when he did, he would just see his reflection like all those other times. He wanted to show and prove to himself irrefutably that the mirror didn't have any will or power. He wanted to show that the mirror didn't 'change its mind' because it didn't _have _a mind to change!

So, he took a step back, positioning himself far enough back for his game.

He closed his eyes tightly and whispered the old words that no longer held any magic to him, but seemed to stick in his throat anyway.

"Mirror... mirror...on the wall...who is... the handsomest... of them all."

He took a deep breath and was just about to open his eyes when he heard a voice to his right.

"James! Do you have any-"

_BOOM!_

As James turned his head to look at Logan standing in his doorway, Carlos arrived home and slammed the apartment door as hard as he always had, drowning out the rest of Logan's words.

Before James could respond or do anything, the rattling that the slamming door caused made everything in the room shake as usual, but this time when the vibrations hit the mirror hanging from the wall, the entire thing fell off, practically jumping off the wall.

"Watch out!"

Logan, worried the glass would break and James might get hurt, lunged forward and grabbed his friend's arm, pulling him away from the impending danger.

James felt himself being yanked back, falling against his bed, sitting up a split second later to finally look at the mirror...

...just in time to see it wobble on its base and fall _back_ against the wall, tilted at an angle...

A chill ran down James' spine when he saw Logan's reflection in the mirror.

The mirror never lied.

* * *

><p><em>Finished<em>.

* * *

><p><strong>TWISTED TALES: <strong>I plan to add more stories like this as the ideas come to me—but I make no guarantees about how quickly those ideas arrive ;) Any and all make-believe stories are fair game though. AND any pairing is possible. I DO mean ANY ;)

**PERSONAL:** This story goes out to **squoctobird**, one of my very best friends. She's been bemoaning the fact that there isn't enough Jettgan out there (all fic writers, get on that!). Her birthday's in a few weeks (two days after Logan's!) so this is her belated get well present AND early birthday present! [**FIC WRITERS: **She also wants more Ozgan, just saying...]

* * *

><p><em>Special thanks to oneforthehaters for all your help.<em>


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